You just need to enter "@fbchess play" to start a game.

The board doesn't support drag-and-drop, so you need to type in specific commands to make the pieces move. Tell the game where you want to go, and it'll move the piece there.

Jacob Shamsian/INSIDER

3/

But what if I want to make a more complicated move than moving a pawn? You can ask messenger for instructions by typing "@fbchess help."

Jacob Shamsian/INSIDER

4/

It took me awhile to figure out how to move my bishop. It turns out that the commands are caps-sensitive.

Jacob Shamsian/INSIDER

5/

You can request to undo a move with "@fbchess undo" or clicking the "undo" button — but your opponent has to accept it.

Jacob Shamsian/INSIDER

6/

The game also worked as a messaging tab on Facebook's standard website...

Jacob Shamsian/INSIDER

7/

...and on the main Facebook website's messaging page.

Jacob Shamsian/INSIDER

8/

It also works on the mobile Messenger app.

Jacob Shamsian/INSIDER

9/

I quickly realized Daniel was winning as I spent my time figuring out how to use the commands, so I withdrew.

Jacob Shamsian/INSIDER

10/

I thought I might have a better shot against Daniel if I went first. Because white goes first in chess, I started a game with "@fbchess play white" to start as the white player. Maybe I'll win this time.